Litany And Wings
by Elliot Grace And Theories
Summary: Many things had come between them. But she was Tauriel. His friend, his fellow bowman, his melamin. War and a stunted man did not change that. Post BotFA. Legoliel.


_**Am I actually doing this? Whoaa okay. My first ever venture into Hobbit fanfiction, or into any fiction in the book section of this website. I'm kinda intimidated since the only knowledge I have of Tolkien's work is the amount I researched and the last two Hobbit films. No books, no LotR, not even the first Hobbit movie. But we'll see how we go.**_

_**I personally think the whole Kiliel couple wasn't as well developed as it should have been, since I would have totally shipped them if it was handled better. Which is why I totally ship Legoliel because A) it's actually more realistic (elf-elf is more likely to happen in comparison to elf-dwarf), B) It's clear in the movies that at some point Tauriel had feelings for Legolas and that's why Thranduil confronted her, and Legolas had feelings for her until the end C) I dig Orlando more than Aiden (biased but oh well)**_

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**Disclaimer: I do not own. Me Wish**

**Title: Litany And Wings**

**Rating: T**

**Genre: Romance/Angst**

**Pairing: Tauriel/Legolas**

**Summary: Many things had come between them. But she was Tauriel. His friend, his fellow bowman, his **_**melamin**_**. War and a stunted man did not change that. Post BotFA.**

_**Important Note**__**:**_** This scene below occurs after the Battle of The Five Armies, right after Legolas tells Thranduil he can't go back and is told to ride north. Since we technically didn't see Tauriel and Legolas physically part ways, I decided to take my own creative liberties in the name on literature. Oh and I just pretend Tauriel kissing Kili's dead body didn't happen. I can try to persuade you guys that it was a sign of an ended friendship but I'd rather just rid it all together so interpretations of a dead kiss aren't so open.**

**And also, all Elvish translations will be at the bottom.**

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'You are leaving.'

Legolas turned from his horse, his eyes falling on the elleth standing several feet away from him. Her eyes, once bright with life, reflected defeat and exhaustion.

'I am,' Legolas confirmed, facing her.

'Not to Mirkwood.'

'No.'

'I see.'

Silence overtook them, and Legolas' ears deafened to the bustling around them as he stared at Tauriel, wondering what brought her to this. It was more than war. More than the loss of a dwarf, no matter how beloved he was to her.

I'll accompany you if you'll allow it, _Ernil,' S_he bowed her head.

Her request took him by surprise, but he masked it skilfully. He wasn't sure he wanted her company. Whether he could bear it. Any other time, a hundred years ago, a decade ago, even several _weeks _ago he would have said yes without hesitance, but things had changed. Many things had come between them. He didn't know if he had the strength to carry their relationship any further. But this was Tauriel. His friend, his fellow bowman, his _melamin_. War and a stunted man did not change that.

'I'm riding north,' he said with finality. 'I believe we'll be able to find an extra horse. It's a long ride.'

She offered a small, broken, but grateful smile, and Legolas knew that coming with him was less about wanting to accompany him on his journey and more about having nowhere else to go. In the back of his mind, a distant voice came forth, and although he could not put a memory to it, he recognized the youthful voice of elfling Tauriel, almost five hundred years ago.

_My home is with you, Ernil._

-X-

The journey was quiet. Whilst he had long before said good bye to his father, Tauriel said farewell to no one. Had no one to say it to. So they left quietly, rode quietly, and dusk crept up on them like calmly flowing water. At nightfall, when they built a fire and sat on opposite sides of it, Legolas had nothing to say, no comfort to offer, and deep down he wondered whether she wanted it. She certainly looked like she _needed _it, but he had never been one to lend sympathies, so he sat in silence, marvelling the way the flames licked the air, and how it mirrored in Tauriel's dull eyes.

He did not need sleep, but when he decided enough was enough, he lay on the soft grass, a roll of material beneath his head to soften the weight. '_Maer dhu,_' he bid, turning to his side. He heard her murmur a 'rest well, my lord.'

He knew she wouldn't sleep. She never slept under the starlight. It was her favourite time to be out of the Woodland Realm, to see the stars shine bright in the sky, the only signs of bright life in the darkness of night.

Hours later, he did not succumb to sleep, and when he shifted to face his companion, the fire between them had long ago burnt out. He found her lying on her back, eyes fixed on the sky. There was a silent admiration in her gaze, and it was the first emotion of delight he'd seen on her since they left Dale. No pull of the lips, but her expression was serene, as though she made peace with all those who'd deserted this world not more than a day and a half ago.

'I can understand His Majesty's need to have the gems of pure starlight most when I am watching them like this. How it must feel, to hold something so precious in your very hands.' He wondered if she held any resentment against his father, whether she begged him to let her come back to Mirkwood before she sought him out.

'Why did you follow me, Tauriel?' he asked.

She let her head fall to the side, their eyes meeting. 'There is nowhere I wouldn't follow you to. The same as you've done for me.'

'Not even if it meant departing with your dwarf?' _If he was still alive,_ was left unsaid.

She smiled softly. 'I made my decision when I followed you to Gundabad. I should have known then, that his time was limited in a war where even elves have fallen. But I did not follow him.'

'Because you were needed elsewhere.' He reminded quietly.

'If that elsewhere was anywhere other than your side, I wouldn't have, _Ernil Legolas_.'

There was a curl in his stomach, a clench in his heart. It was no confession of love, this devotion to one's prince. But it left a mark on his soul all the same. His devotion to her love had out-ruled his devotion to his father's word, but they were different, he and Tauriel. Some loyalties were more valuable to one's existence than others.

'I mourn his loss, and I miss his presence, no matter how little of it I witnessed. Perhaps, there was hope for us, but it did not happen. The will of the gods show me a different path. I will take it with little remorse.'

He did not speak again for the rest of the night, and neither did she.

-X-

'He is known as Strider.' He said the next day.

'Is he why you're going north?'

He nodded. 'My father told me to find him. He used to say great men were fated to be found. Perhaps Strider is one of those men.'

'If your father has said so, it must be true.'

He hesitated, unable to determine the emotions in her tone. 'Will you follow me there? Or do you have other places you want to be. Begin a life elsewhere?'

He dared not spare a glance sideways, lest her expression determine her decision and hurt his heart. She simply replied, 'I'll follow as far as you want me to go.'

-X-

They spent the fourth nightfall on an escarpment, tying their horses that needed rest, to a tree. When it came to falling asleep, Legolas found no slumber, and moved to the edge of the steep, hanging his legs over it the way he would over a tree branch in the Woodland Realm. In the dark, the endless pit of bush at the bottom was alluring as much as it was intimidating. He gazed into it, losing himself in the nothing that was beneath his feet, as opposed to the glimmering stars that Tauriel admired.

After several hours, she moved away from the fire they had made, and silently sat beside him. If he moved out his elbow, he would touch hers, their first contact in days, but he did not succumb to the temptation.

'I would have asked you to follow me to the ends of Middle Earth, once,' he murmured quietly after their moment of silence. 'Father would not have let us, so I would have asked you to follow me in life, by my side as my queen.'

She did not appear surprised, and he knew it was not a new revelation to her. Surely, he had made his affections for her long ago clear.

'I would have only followed as far as I was allowed to go,' she answered. 'There is only so far a lowly Silvan elf could follow her prince. I must not give you hope where there is none.'

He did not look at her; surely he would betray his emotions through his gaze. 'Should you have said that some weeks ago, I wouldn't have believed you. But as it seems, the night of _mereth nuin giliath _changed many things. I never would have thought to lose you to a mere stunted man.'

'You've never lost me, Legolas. I've lost you. You are a prince. There are some boundaries that elves who aren't royalty cannot pass.'

He finally turned to her, allowing himself the privilege of gazing at her fierce expression, so different to all the ones he'd been subjected to since their journey. She had always been one who blatantly defied orders, passionately expressed her opinion. It was her moments of reckless behaviour that he cherished most about her. The rawness of her behaviour.

'I would have given up the crown for you, time and time again. Nothing stops an elf from sacrificing for who he has pledged himself to.'

She stared at him, stunned and surprised. 'We are not pledged.'

'No ceremony has bonded us, but my heart as pledged itself to you before I was aware of it myself. _Sevelog i veleth nin._'

'Legolas,' she whispered, the desperation in her eyes lighting a fire deep within him. 'Did you love him?' he demanded. '_Nin melog_?' He stood, unable to sit any longer. '_Meleth thilia min hin lin_. But for who? Nephew of Thorin?'

'Do you believe that?' She stood slowly, the weariness in her form showing through her motions. She stepped forward. Their proximity had his lungs tighten, his heartbeat a litany of _thumps _in his chest.

'How could the affection of a few days erase centuries of love? Do you doubt yourself so much, Legolas?'

He released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. But he didn't, couldn't trust her so easily, as he had his heart into her hands. 'You are forbidden from giving me false hope.' Despite his words, he found himself inclining forward, their foreheads touching ever so slightly. The look in her eyes, he could finally place as something beyond lost life, sadness and sorrow. Hopeful love. Desperate love. Her breath fanned his lips, and he closed his eyes, swallowing a lump in his throat that restricted him from speaking. 'I cannot let you go once I have you. Don't give me your love if you're having doubt.'

'There could never be a doubt,' she breathed.

It was all he needed. Without warning, he brought up his hands and cupped her face, pulling her forward to unite their lips in a kiss that was centuries too late and long in the making. Dark lashes fluttered closed against the pale of their skin, and his senses heightened doublefold as he tangled his fingers in her hair, revelling in the softness of her tendrils and the eagerness of her lips against his. That night, under the luminous stars, two souls pledged their love.

_My home is with you, Ernil_

_I take it as a promise_

_Gweston_

-X-

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**Sindarin Translations:**

_**Ernil: My lord**_

_**Melamin: my love (in context of the story, 'his love')**_

_**Maer Dhu: Good night**_

_**mereth nuin giliath: Feast of starlight**_

_**Sevelog i veleth nin: You have my love**_

_**nin melog?: Do you love me? **_

_**Meleth thilia min hin lin**__**: Love sparkes in your eyes**_

_**Gweston: Promise**_

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_**That's all from me, guys. I left it sort of open ended so that it doesn't clash with canon-verse. For all you know, Tauriel decided to leave Legolas to do his own part with the fellowship once they met Aragorn, and they meet again once the war is over. In my head, since I haven't watched LotR, I'm gonna just stick em together and all. **_

_**I hope to get your opinions to see how well/badly I went, and how you feel about it?**_

_**Let me know what you think**_

_**xx**_


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